how long does your horse take to warm up??

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clairefeekerry1

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each is different, but whatever we do, hack/school/jump/compete my lad seems to take for ever to warm up. he's not lazy, silly or stiff, just seems takes ages for a switch to flick in his brain, then he goes v v v nicely. takes about 40/50 mins before he really thinks about doing something nice!!! how long does your horse take, or am i just being too soft/riding fluffy!!!!
 
Daisy always took about half an hour before you really started to see her work to her full potential. I was always the first to arrive at shows, could never understand the people who seem to do two laps round the warm up and then go straight in to their class.
 
Scooby takes ages to warm up enough for a nice canter - he has difficulties with canter anyway, he's very unbalanced, so I like to get him going really well before we even attempt it. I normally leave it about 30 mins before I try cantering - if I throw him into it too soon we just lurch about all over the place.
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He used to be a lazy so and so and I would describe most of our session as a warm up! Although I always aimed to get him moving off my leg as soon as possible (even in a free walk) it would only be after 20 or 30 minutes where he would be really swinging through and actually going somewhere.

However we have recently changed his feed and he's become turbo charged crazy WB! Now he goes in the school and usually works brilliantly straight away, but sometimes (ie after a few snow days off) he will be running on and refusing to accept the contact and I can then spend 20 or 30 minutes trying to get his attention.

Hmm maybe something inbetween would be better...!
 
Usually at the end of a 45 minute lesson he's about ready to start work! By then I'm knackered! Walk and trot comes reasonably well, but have to work hard to get him engaged and working from behind before I attempt canter otherwise he falls further and further onto his forehand. He's 8 now so I think that's just the way he is.
 
a good 45- 50 mins to losen him up. he starts off quite stiff and just takes him that long to really get going but then a switch goes on and hes great. too bad my lessons are only an hour!!!!
 
Depends what for - but to get a decent dressage test out of him probs 40 mins really! Like someone said above he isn't stiff or silly for the first bit but takes that long to get him totally focused and engaged and listening 100%....having said that sometimes it just never happens at all!
 
Mine lad is a bit strange he takes about 30 mins at home but when i take him to a competition he switches on straight away and anything more that 20 mins and he is over cooked.

I normally aim to be on him 20 mins before my dressage time so he peaks at i go in the arena.
 
Pip is best with just a walk and trot round then straight in, Ginga the same under saddle but driving needs the best part of the hour to relax and start softening. They need their energy conserving
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And doing more just winds everyone up. Used to give Pip 45min when he wasn't relaxed but now he comes out of the stable supple and chilled. Def. +ve of having a pony
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At least 20 mins walking, in our school thats 5 times round each way and 4 serpantines !

He tyed up a few years ago so am extra careful to warm up and cool down
 
about 20 mins
i hate walking
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so i do a tiiiiiny bit of that, loads of trot then even more canter. then after that i go back to the trot, work on that then work on the canter
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